Navigating the Harm Reduction Debate

<p>Since 2016, the toxic drug crisis has taken more than 50 thousand Canadian lives.</p><p><br></p><p>The Conservative party has promised $200-million a year to fund addictions recovery care for 50,000 people, according to the party's platform. Leader Pierre Poilievre has also vowed to “defund drug dens” – imposing strict new rules for overdose prevention sites and supervised consumption sites.</p><p><br></p><p>Liberal leader Mark Carney has said that his party would review the effectiveness of such sites, while the federal NDP supports them.</p><p><br></p><p>So given all of that…who’s left fighting the toxic drug crisis? How did harm reduction programs become so politically unviable? And what does that mean for drug users?</p><p><br></p><p>Front Burner senior producer Elaine Chau brings us this documentary from Vancouver – ground zero of an overdose crisis that’s now wreaked havoc across the country.</p><p><br></p><p>Make sure to watch our election night livestream on Monday, April 28 starting at 8pm Eastern. You can find it <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dYxMOdfYba0" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">here on the CBC News YouTube channel</a> and on the CBC News TikTok.</p><p><br></p><p>For transcripts of Front Burner, please visit:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cbc.ca/radio/frontburner/transcripts" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://www.cbc.ca/radio/frontburner/transcripts</a></p><p><br></p>